Cable network TNT has confirmed what “Leverage” fans feared: the Season 5 finale episode – which will air on Christmas Day – will be its last.

Dean Devlin, executive producer of the TNT drama, earlier this month penned an open letter [4] to the show's viewers, telling them that he and fellow "Leverage" executive producer John Rogers crafted the show's Season 5 finale as a series finale, because it just might be.

In the series, Timothy Hutton stars as the leader of a squad of shady characters who use their skills to right corporate and government injustices.

Also read: TNT's 'Leverage' Could End This Month, Producer Warns [5]

Tuesday's episode, according to Devlin, is "the most powerful episode we’ve ever done."

 "Leverage" has averaged 3.5 million total viewers, down 11 percent from last season's average, with 1.3 million in the 18-49 demographic most important to advertisers, an 18 percent decline from last season.

"As of the writing of this letter, we still do not know if there will be a season six of our show. Just as we didn't know when we created the last three episodes which are about to air," Devlin wrote. "Because of this uncertainty, John Rogers and I decided to end this season with the episode we had planned to make to end the series, way back when we shot the pilot. So, the episode that will air on Christmas is, in fact, the series finale we had always envisioned."